Chapter 98
Chapter 98
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Dinner with the Association President
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Japchae, grilled yellow croaker, grilled beef ribs, steamed abalone, and an assortment of side dishes.
A neat, traditional Korean meal was set on the large six-person table.
"Please, eat up."
"Hey, what are you doing? Hurry and try it. It's really good!"
Do-jae hesitated for a moment before scooping a spoonful of white rice into his mouth.
The fluffy, warm rice was on a completely different level from the instant rice he ate every day.
"Try some of this. I had it delivered directly from Yeonggwang this morning."
Eun-hee’s mother placed a golden-brown grilled croaker on Do-jae’s plate.
Chewing on the mouthful of rice, Do-jae nodded in thanks before carefully deboning the fish and taking a bite.
Regardless of price or taste, grilled fish was a difficult dish for a man living alone to prepare.
The taste of the croaker, which he hadn't had in a very long time, was truly moving.
"...Thank you. It's delicious."
Do-jae spoke with sincerity.
Every single dish had been prepared with immense care.
Such a lavish home-cooked meal deeply touched him.
"I hope we didn't call you here when you were busy."
"Not at all. I’ve actually had a lot of free time recently."
"That's a relief. Have some more. I made it all myself."
Eun-hee’s mother moved the dishes closer to Do-jae and placed a piece of meat on his younger brother Do-young’s rice.
"You eat a lot too, Do-young."
"Okay!"
This morning.
A sudden text from Eun-hee.
[Do-jae, are you free this evening? My mom wants us all to have dinner at home... I'm so sorry if this is inconvenient for you. I'm sorryㅠㅠ]
Reading the message, Do-jae couldn't hide his surprise.
Not just anywhere, but her home, and an invitation for that very day—it was a bit overwhelming.
But he quickly changed his mind.
He felt an immense sense of gratitude toward Eun-hee’s parents.
They had been looking after Do-young ever since he'd left his brother in Eun-hee's care, treating him like their own son. He had been planning to thank them properly soon anyway.
Though taken aback by the sudden invitation, Do-jae decided to take this opportunity to offer his formal thanks and replied that he would come.
"Sir, Ma'am. Thank you again for taking care of my brother all this time."
"Oh, not at all. Do-young is so smart and affectionate, we're the ones who should be thankful. Isn't that right, Eun-hee?"
"Yes, you must be so happy, Do-jae. To have such a lovely younger brother."
Fortunately, Do-young was doing well here.
He was much brighter and had gained some weight compared to his time in the hospital.
Every time they spoke on the phone, he would say he wanted to keep living here, a testament to how much Eun-hee’s parents doted on him.
However, apart from his gratitude, there was something that made Do-jae tense.
"Honey. Why are you so quiet today? Is the food not to your liking?"
Amidst the warm atmosphere, Eun-hee’s father’s stern expression weighed heavily on Do-jae’s mind.
"It's fine."
"Then why are you so quiet? It's a nice occasion, you should say something."
"Ahem..."
Eun-hee’s father just cleared his throat and continued eating.
Just then, Do-young shot up from his seat.
"Mister, have some of this. The lady and I made it!"
He held up the plate of donggeurangttaeng with both hands and placed it in front of Eun-hee’s father.
At that, the man's expression softened considerably as he stroked Do-young’s head.
"Eat up."
"Okay!"
The meal continued like that.
Eun-hee’s father spoke occasionally, but for the most part, it was her mother, Eun-hee, and Do-young who led the conversation until dinner ended.
"Ma'am, this is for you."
"Oh my, what is all this? Just a moment. Eun-hee, Do-young, go wash these. Do-jae, please wait outside."
Unable to come empty-handed, Do-jae had deliberated over what to bring before finally settling on a gift basket of seasonal fruits and a set of premium Korean beef.
Eun-hee’s mother immediately took Eun-hee and Do-young to prepare some refreshments, while Do-jae went out to the living room and sat awkwardly next to Eun-hee’s father.
"Thank you for the meal, sir."
Do-jae spoke in a brighter tone to hide his awkwardness.
But Eun-hee’s father simply stared at his face without saying a word.
Just as Do-jae was wondering where to look, the man finally spoke.
"Feeling uncomfortable?"
***
Jeong In-gon.
He was one of the pillars who had led the Korean Hunter community and the current President of the Hunter Association.
An A-rank Hunter whose strength was beyond question, he was a Hunter's Hunter, still active enough to occasionally participate in dungeon raids despite being over sixty.
And sitting before him was a clean-cut man with fair skin.
The man most talked about among Hunters today, whose future was a subject of great interest.
His name was Lee Do-jae.
"You seemed on edge throughout the meal. If it was because of me, I apologize."
"Not at all. It was my first time being invited to a setting like this, so I wasn't used to it. I'm more worried I made you uncomfortable."
"Nonsense. It was a comfortable and enjoyable meal. Eun-hee seemed to be in good spirits, too."
"I had a wonderful time as well. Your wife's cooking was delicious, and the warm atmosphere was very nice."
Jeong In-gon and Do-jae continued their ordinary conversation.
It was the kind of talk one might expect between a boyfriend visiting his girlfriend's family for the first time and her father.
But both were pretending.
Inwardly, their minds were racing, trying to size each other up.
It was Jeong In-gon who revealed his true intentions first.
"I've heard a lot about you. You've accomplished something great."
Jeong In-gon had learned that Do-jae cleared the dual dungeon faster than anyone else.
One of the Association employees dispatched to the scene had reported directly to him.
From that moment, he had begun investigating who Do-jae was and what kind of person he was, and now, most of the relevant information had reached his ears.
"If you're referring to the dual dungeon, I was just doing what had to be done. It was a dungeon our guild was responsible for."
"Hahaha, you seem to be weak to compliments. In times like these, you can just say thank you. As the Association President and as a citizen of this country, I am grateful to you for saving us from danger."
"...Thank you."
Do-jae bowed his head to Jeong In-gon.
Having the Association President take an interest in him wasn't a bad thing.
How many people had stooped to all sorts of shameful acts just to get noticed by someone of Jeong In-gon's stature?
But for Do-jae, there was nothing more than gratitude for them taking care of Do-young.
It might have been different in the past, but now, all Do-jae cared about was protecting his loved ones from Gellahan.
"Do-jae."
Jeong In-gon leaned forward and whispered in a low voice.
"How far have you gone with my Eun-hee?"
"Pardon?"
Startled, Do-jae exclaimed loudly, prompting Jeong In-gon to raise an index finger to his lips in a hushing gesture.
"You can be honest with me."
Do-jae was flustered.
He was also a bit deflated that the big topic Jeong In-gon wanted to discuss was simply whether he was dating Eun-hee.
To be honest, he had steeled himself before coming to Eun-hee’s house.
He had only recently learned that her father was the Association President and had spent countless moments wondering what the man wanted to discuss by inviting him to dinner.
"It's a misunderstanding. There's nothing going on between Ms. Eun-hee and me."
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
As Do-jae answered with sincerity, it was Jeong In-gon's turn to be disappointed.
Contrary to what Do-jae might think, he had been hoping that his daughter and Do-jae were getting along well.
"What? Two young people of your age, and nothing is happening between you?"
A disappointed Jeong In-gon said in a deliberately loud voice.
He had said it on purpose so that Eun-hee could hear.
Do-jae glanced toward the kitchen, and sure enough, Eun-hee and her mother were peeking out toward the living room.
"Mr. President..."
"I thought you two were already seeing each other. But you're telling me you're not!"
"It's not that..."
"Then what is it? Is there a problem with Eun-hee? I must have raised her wrong. I'm sorry."
"Not at all. Ms. Eun-hee is kind-hearted and beautiful. You've raised your daughter wonderfully, sir. The thought of someone like me being with her... it's unthinkable."
"Oh... is that so?"
Flustered by Jeong In-gon's lament, Do-jae blurted out words without thinking.
Seeing this, Jeong In-gon realized his ploy had worked.
"Then how about you start dating my Eun-hee seriously from now on? I quite like you, Do-jae."
"Pardon...?"
Do-jae's mind was a complete mess.
And a victorious smile spread across Jeong In-gon's face.
"Then I'll take that as a yes. And also..."
Looking at the sweating Do-jae, Jeong In-gon prepared to get to the main point.
Everything up to now had just been to fluster him.
The real conversation was about to begin.
***
"How was it today? Was Dad hard on you?"
"No, not at all. It was really nice. Hahaha."
Having finished even the dessert made from the fruit he'd brought, Do-jae left Eun-hee’s house to head home.
Eun-hee had followed him out to see him off.
"I'm sorry. If it had just been one of them, I would have stopped it, but this time both of them said they wanted to see you..."
"It was really fine, I enjoyed it, so don't worry about it. You all took such good care of me, I feel like I should treat you to a nice place next time. Haha."
After that conversation with Jeong In-gon, looking at Eun-hee’s face felt incredibly burdensome.
He tried to ease his awkwardness with a loud laugh, but it wasn't easy.
"Um... please forget what my dad said earlier."
"Y-You heard?"
Flustered, Do-jae stuttered, something he rarely did.
He was worried she might have overheard his conversation with Jeong In-gon.
"Huh? Heard what? He said it when we were all together..."
"What did he say...?"
"About my childhood... my school days... I think my dad was bragging about me a little too much..."
"Ah... ah, yes. No, it was fun hearing about your childhood. I wanted to hear more, actually."
Fortunately, it seemed she hadn't heard.
After that one glance from the kitchen, his conversation with Jeong In-gon had been mostly in whispers, and the sounds of running water and chopping had been constant from the kitchen, so it was plausible she hadn't heard.
"What? Forget it! Please forget it!"
Do-jae continued to tease Eun-hee as they walked down the alley.
And now, it was time for them to part ways.
"Ms. Eun-hee, are you not smoking today?"
The last time they met, Eun-hee had been smoking.
But today, there was no smell of cigarettes on her, nor the perfume used to cover it up.
"Yeah, I quit. With Do-young in the house, I felt bad about the smell."
"Really? I hope my brother didn't make things difficult for you."
"Not at all. I smoked because I was stressed, but now that Do-young is there to cheer me up when I get home, I don't need to anymore."
"That's great. It's not good for your health..."
Without realizing it, Do-jae reached out and stroked Eun-hee’s head.
Then, seeing her face flush red, he quickly pulled his hand back in surprise.
"W-Well, I should get going."
"Okay... get home safe."
Startled, Do-jae turned and quickly disappeared into the crowd on the main street without looking back.